Cute Pink Cozyness

Good afternoon and happy Thursday everyone! The weekend is almost upon us. Hopefully spring is almost upon us as well! On Tuesday we got a taste of things to come with 70 degree temps and sunshine all day. Today, however we are stuck inside as it is now 24 degrees outside! When it's this cold out we all need something to keep us warm, especially the little ones.

Last week I shared with you an afghan that I crocheted for my cousin Mal as a baby shower gift. If you didn't get a chance to see it you can click here and take a look. In that post I promised to show you the reversible flannel receiving blankets that I made to go along with the afghan.

I really enjoyed every step in making these blankets, although I think that choosing the fabric was my favorite. My local Joann Fabrics had an adorable selection of cozy flannel prints to pick from. Since I knew I was shopping for a baby girl I limited myself to shades of pink. There were so many precious patterns in all the colors. I had a hard enough time choosing only three pairs of patterns out of the one color, if I had let myself look at all the colors I would have left there with enough flannel for blankets for a dozen babies! 

These blankets were made bigger than most other receiving blankets at 33 inches x 33 inches. They also have a darling print on the front and back so that either side can be displayed for variety.

As soon as flannel goes on sale again I will be making some more of these delightful blankets and I will be sure to share the results with you!

Bears on the front. Polka dots on the back.

Close up of decorative top stitching. 

                                            

Custom label by ananenmone labels 

                                     

Close up of the work in progress.

I chose this top stitching because I thought that it looked like little
whale tails!

The animals within the dots are adorable.

Wavy top stitching

All folded up and ready for gifting!

Photos of My Quilt

A while ago I wrote a post about my Grama Mary and how she inspires me to crochet and sew. If you would like to go back and read it you will find it here. I took some photos of the quilt that she made for me so that I can show it off to all of you! As you can see, I have the quilt on my bed to keep me warm and cozy at night!

There it is, on my bed.

A closer look at the patterns.

The one on the right is my favorite. 

Baby Girl Afghan

I used Loops & Threads Impeccable yarn in Neopolitan

   When I found out that my cousin Mal was going to have a baby girl, I knew that I wanted to crochet an afghan for her. Her mom told me that the nursery theme was going to be mossy oak camouflage in pink. Perusing the shelves of Joann Fabrics one afternoon I came upon the lovely yarn that I would use for this project. The shades of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry come together perfectly in this afghan and will hopefully match the nursery theme as well!

Personalized label from Etsy shop Ananemone Labels

I chose to use a shell stitch for this afghan. A shell stitch is so cute and cozy for a baby girl's blanket! The above video is the one that I used to learn how to do the shell edging on the afghan. 

I wish that I would have remembered to measure the dimensions of the blanket before I gave it to Mal. Then you would know the actual size but it was big enough to keep a baby warm and small enough for an older child to carry around as their "blankie".

I also made some reversible flannel receiving blankets for Mal's baby girl. I will post about those soon.

A Hug For Grama Carol

My Grandmother's birthday is this Sunday. No, not Grama Mary, although I've certainly mentioned her before! Sunday March 2 is the birthday of my mom's mom, Grama Carol. 

When I was a year old my parents divorced and my mom and I  moved in with my grandparents.  Grama Carol and Pap Bill took care of me when my mom would go to her job at Hill's. I never wanted my mom to go to work and would always cry when she would leave but hugs from my Grama Carol always made me feel better. 

It was this memory that gave me the inspiration to make a special gift for Grama Carol's birthday.

A prayer shawl is a piece that is crocheted or knit to give another person warmth and comfort. It is called a prayer shawl because you can pray for the individual as you stitch or the recipient can wear it while they say their prayers or meditate. A prayer shawl is a comforting hug from one person to another. It shows the recipient that they are loved and cared for. 

When I heard about prayer shawls recently I knew that one would be perfect for Grama Carol. She is a devoted Catholic and says her rosaries often. As she recites the familiar prayers she can be surrounded by the warm hug of the shawl that I made for her.

Here are some photos of my progress so far. I found some simple instructions for constructing a prayer shawl here. 

What I've done so far.

Close up of hook and stitches

Sew Inspirational

I have told you before about my Grama Mary. She taught me to crochet and so many other things. She is one of my biggest inspirations. I spent much of my childhood and adolescence with her and my Pap Popsey (his name was Charles but we called him Popsey).
It was my Grama Mary that made me want to sew.

I can't remember exactly how many years ago that Grama Mary learned to quilt. At least ten years ago she made me a quilt of my very own. So I know it was at least that long ago! I love this quilt so very  much. It is one of my most prized possessions. Shades of lilac, violet, and cream flannel are stitched together and adorned with flower appliques. A rough edged rag quilt detail adds to the coziness of the blanket. I have found much comfort over the years wrapped up in the warmth of this quilt. It always felt like I was getting a hug from Grama Mary herself. It is because of her quilts that I wanted to take up sewing myself. I wanted to provide the same comfort to others that my beloved Grama always provided to me.

A few years ago my husband gave me a sewing machine for Christmas. I still haven't learned to quilt. But I have started to learn other things. I have taken a few classes and am learning some more from online tutorials and Youtube videos.

One day soon I will make a quilt and I know Grama Mary will be proud.


Who or what inspired you to sew?

Beanies! Beanies! Beanies!

I am all about the beanies lately. I have been making them pretty much nonstop. Ever since I studied a YouTube video on how to do it, crocheting beanies is my new favorite project. 

Beanies are a great project to take with you when you have to do things like wait at the doctor's office because they are small enough to stash in your bag. 

This is the tutorial that taught me how to make the basic beanie. It can be adjusted to any size, from a newborn baby up to an adult! I have used another tutorial from this Youtube channel, bobwilson123, as well. Clare is a great teacher and I just love her accent! She also has a website that is all about crochet and it can be found here.

These are a couple of pictures of the last beanie that I finished up yesterday. This beanie was made with Red Heart Super Saver and a 6mm hook.

The Crochet Bug

I got the crochet bug when I was a little girl. My grandmother Mary taught me how to do the basic stitches and I was hooked (pun intended) for life. I would pick up the hook and yarn on and off over the years until three years ago when I really got serious about it again.
To freshen up my skills and add some new stitches to my arsenal I turned to YouTube for video tutorials. I never could read a pattern and being a visual learner this was the perfect solution. Learning from the videos was even a little tricky for me. It turns out that I do things a little bit differently than everyone else because the grandmother who taught me crochet is left handed! So I hold my yarn differently and I tend to work from the back instead of the front. I tried to change how I work but I am so used to the other way that I gave up. I might have to adjust some projects to my way of doing things but as long as the end result is the same I figure it doesn't matter how I get there!

I love to crochet. It is the perfect cold weather hobby. Curled up under a blanket with a fresh skein of yarn watching a show with my husband is a perfect evening. The satisfaction, pride and accomplishment I feel when completing a project or mastering a new stitch can't be beat. 

Do you crochet or knit? What are your favorite things about it?